In Season: Asparagus today, gone tomorrow, so don't delay

MONTREAL - There’s ho-hum asparagus and then there’s asparagus in our season, which is right now. These distinctive green shoots of flavour are proving the point that, even though we get good imported asparagus almost year-round, there’s no place like home for the best. Already on the market for a few weeks, local asparagus will be in season at least until St. Jean Baptiste day.

Following on fiddleheads, always the first green produce to mature, asparagus is helping launch this year’s promotion by both Quebec growers and the government urging us to seek out and buy Quebec foods. The grower-marketer group Association des Jardiniers maraîchers du Québec has the slogan “Quebec-grown is better … and healthier and fresher” (Les québécois sont bien meilleurs!) while the government uses the logo Aliments du Québec.

Our efficient food supply system provides us with asparagus almost year-round - from California, New Jersey, Mexico and Peru. This regular availability has had an advantage for us because store employees are more informed about how to keep asparagus fresh. I often see bunches of asparagus on sale standing in a littler water.

Quebec growers are providing us with better and better asparagus, cut daily, cooled to preserve freshness, and trucked quickly from farms to market. Last spring, I watched the washing and cooling system at one of our best asparagus farms, Primera Productions Cousins Fruitiers in the Lanaudière region. Mario Rondeau, who runs the farm with his cousin Stéphane Asselin, turned his family’s former tobacco lands into fields of asparagus, plus a secondary crop of ground cherries.

The sight of bunches of fresh-picked asparagus standing in his warehouse with heads up in tight-packed containers under a 20-minute cold shower was impressive. Maintain both cold and moisture to protect asparagus freshness, said Mario, who recommends refrigerating asparagus wrapped in wet paper towels. His blue and orange label includes cooking tips.

It’s innovation time for many Quebec growers. Mario is working on producing a mid-summer asparagus crop. Another major asparagus producer is Cultures de Chez Nous, on the south coast of the St. Lawrence River at St. Brigitte des Saults. It is marketing some asparagus in plastic bags. The packaging allows some air, yet gives the vegetable protection from moisture loss.

Marketing manager Richard Langlois estimates the bags add a week to the vegetable’s shelf life. And this farm is specialized in bagging; it produces leeks – its other crop – sliced in plastic bags.

Cooking tips

Primera’s label recommends boiling or stir-frying medium-width spears of asparagus three to five minutes, steaming for five minutes, microwaving for three to six minutes, and baking for eight to 10 minutes.

Michelle Rajotte, who with husband Louis-Marie Jutras, runs Cultures de Chez Nous, likes her asparagus cooked, cooled, and drizzled with a vinaigrette made of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper. For variety, stir chopped fresh herbs and dry shallots into the dressing.

Roasting asparagus is another of her favourites. Arrange in a pan lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt, and roast, uncovered, at 450 degrees F., turning once during roasting, until just beginning to become tender, about 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

RECIPE

From Lauren Chattman of Newsday in New York, via MCT

Asparagus, Avocado and Arugula Tacos

My all-time favorite method for cooking asparagus spears is roasting. It concentrates their flavor and caramelizes their tips. Recently, I made some easy vegetarian tacos by roasting asparagus and placing it inside steamed corn tortillas. (I grilled some spicy fresh chorizo as an accompaniment for the meat eaters at my table.)

2. Whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper to taste, lemon juice, chili and garlic. Combine arugula and avocado in a medium bowl and toss with dressing.

3. Wrap tortillas in a clean, damp kitchen towel and microwave until soft and hot, 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. Put 2 tortillas, one on top of the other, on a work surface, keeping remaining tortillas wrapped and warm as you work. Spoon on some arugula and avocado salad, top with some warm asparagus, sprinkle with cheese, and fold in half. Repeat with the remaining tacos. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

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